Bu Shi Niu Sukiyaki

"Bu Shi Niu" means "don't eat beef" in Chinese. In the old days, Japanese didn't eat beef very often, usually only consuming it during celebrations. Therefore, having beef sukiyaki at Bu Shi Niu is like a celebration. Traditionally, sukiyaki hot pot was a dish that Japanese farmers enjoyed after farm work, as they grabbed whatever vegetables were available and cooked them with some farm implements. Lunches are NT$329 and dinners are NT$399. Vegetarian diners can notify the restaurant in advance, and the restaurant also provides vegetarian sukiyaki hot pot cooked with mushroom and corn. --By Niang Chen, translated by Angel Pu

A. The Chinese antique-style interior is very trendy and the restaurant even keeps chickens and ducks on the lawn outside the french windows, which helps attract attention in its urban surroundings.

B. The sukiyaki hot pot soup is made with an essential Japanese condiment known as "mirin", plus soy sauce and sugar. To give the broth a lighter flavor, the usual soup stock is replaced with barley tea, giving it a refreshing barley flavor. The red onions absorb the Japanese-style sauce and go well with cooked meat. Diners can also wrap the shredded cheese in raw beef slices and cook them for a rich, special flavor. Each table gets three plates of free appetizers, such as Cherry Duck, French Goose Liver and Healthy Black Beans.

C. The high-quality meat offered here includes low-fat beef, Angus beef, boneless beef short ribs, regular pork and low-fat pork. Diners can cook these in a sauce with onions and shredded cheese. There are also various all-you-can-eat or drink beverages, desserts and ice cream.